Cloaking conjugates

After spending its first 18 months using medicinal chemistry to discover novel platinum-based cytotoxic agents for cancer, Blend Therapeutics Inc. has decided to branch out into developing a biologic-drug conjugate platform that may provide greater efficacy than traditional antibody-drug conjugates with longer half-lives than conjugates based on smaller protein scaffolds.

The company unveiled its Pentarin platform this month, along with a fresh infusion of capital from a series B extension, after in-licensing exclusive rights to a bipodal biologic targeting ligand technology from an undisclosed biotech. Chairman Omid Farokhzad said the deal brought in house the last piece of the puzzle for the platform...